


Whenever You Need Me

by startrekkingaroundasgard



Series: 31 Days of Ficmas 2020 [7]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Abandonment, Aftermath of Torture, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, Tony Stark Bingo Mark IV, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:01:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27934282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/startrekkingaroundasgard/pseuds/startrekkingaroundasgard
Summary: Tony has a nightmare and the reader comforts him.Square A4 - hurt/comfort, Card: 4048
Relationships: Tony Stark/Reader
Series: 31 Days of Ficmas 2020 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2035468
Comments: 1
Kudos: 21





	Whenever You Need Me

Tony tugged at the tattered blanket around his shoulders, the thin piece of damp fabric pathetic protection against the freezing concrete cell walls but all he had to fend off the cold. He closed his eyes but in the darkness he just relived all the pain and torture from the past weeks.

His body was weak and broken, bruised and bloody. They’d taken the suit, damaged the arc reactor so every waking moment was spent in the knowledge that it could be his last. He couldn’t even attempt to fix it after they shattered every bone in his hands, well aware that that was where his real power lied.

He stared up at the ceiling, icy water dripping through the cracks onto his head. He stared at the plate of food by the door, although to call that bland sloppy sawdust food was an insult to everything delicious in the world. Tony was starving. He hadn’t eaten in days, the humiliation of having to eat like a dog, face down in the lukewarm gloop, too much to stomach.

On the first day, Tony had tried to lift it but the casts around his arms made it impossible. What had started as a valiant attempt to maintain his dignity had ended with the meal down his front. Even worse, the bastards holding him captive turned away and left him to suffer without so much as a filthy rag to clean his shirt.

Keeping track of time was almost impossible. There were no windows in the dismal cell and they controlled the lights. Tony thought he’d been here for a few weeks but the truth could be far worse. Every day, they chipped away at another piece of his dignity, forced him to behave like an animal, hurt him until he told them what they wanted to know.

He tried to hold out, of course he did, but he wasn’t a spy. SHIELD had made it perfectly clear that they would never truly employ him as anything other than a weapon and as such had never given him the training to survive this. Every day they demanded more of him, information and secrets that he didn’t even realise he knew, until Tony felt little more than an empty shell.

But despite it all, a part of his mind remained. It was enough to know that you would come for him, that if he survived another day of this torture and humiliation then it might give you the time you needed to find him. Any day now you would locate him, rescue him from this Hell and bring him home.

Only, as the days dragged on, weeks turned to months and his captors taunted him with Christmas songs to mark his sixth month in their possession, that hope faded. You were brilliant and Tony knew that if you had truly been searching for him that you would havefound him by now. That realisation hurt more than any of the beatings or near death experiences ever could.

They confirmed as much on Christmas day, of all days. The woman responsible for the thick, ugly scars on his face strode in, heels clicking against the concrete floor. She barely looked up from her phone. “I didn’t realise they wouldn’t come for you. Obviously you don’t mean as much to them as we thought. I guess they never cared after all.”

She shrugged, pulled out a gun and pressed the cold, metal barrel against his forehead. “You’re of no use to anyone any more.” Then she pulled the trigger.

Tony shot upright, panting heavily. Hair clung to his sweaty brow. He could hardly breathe. Horrible memories of drowning, of being crushed beneath burning buildings, of falling through space overtook him, the worst moments of his life all happening simultaneously. Completely helpless, hopeless, praying for it to just _end_ already.

A cold pair of hands grabbed his face, forced him to focus forwards in the darkness. No, not darkness at all. Someone had turned on the lights and he was in his room. Cold and impersonal and empty because his life was in the lab, because he feared that settling in and making it a home would mean that this place too would eventually be torn away from him. He’d already lost so much, he couldn’t risk exposing his humanity again.

A gentle tone soothed his nerves, even though the calming words remained distant, separate. Slowly, he came back to himself enough to match the familiar voice to your name and a wave of relief washed over him. The very thought of you grounded him, gave him a reason to fight the shadows, your arms a safe place where he would always be welcome.

“That’s it,” you hummed, lightly stroking his cheek. “You’re alright.”

Tony turned into your touch and for a brief moment he was able to forget about everything and simply savour the peace you brought his mind. However, as so often happened in peace, his defences fell and all the pain and heartache roared its head once again. You pulled him into an embrace, your hand rubbing circles across his shoulders.

“It’s okay. You’re okay. They can’t hurt you any more. I’m here.”

He choked on his own sob. You were here now, yes, but where had you been then? How long would it take for this relationship to turn sour, for your love to turn to hate and for you to leave him, to toss him away and feed him to the wolves like everyone else? “Why didn’t you come for me?”

Your fingers dug into his shoulder blades, the sharp pressure almost soothing in its own way. At least he felt it. You pulled back, hands still on his arms, maintaining the connection, keeping him grounded, and said softly, “It was just a nightmare, Tony. Whenever you need me, I will always be there. Come on, lay back down.”

Guiding him down, you crawled under the covers and wrapped your arms around his waist, snuggled tightly against his back and nuzzled your nose into the crook of his neck. Your hand came to rest over the arc reactor and you gently traced the scars that littered his chest, pressing a kiss to his shoulder for every single one.

His breathing slowed and his muscles relaxed as you warmed him up. Limbs tangled together, Tony dared to close his eyes and allowed himself to drift back off to sleep safe in the knowledge that you were there and would be there by his side to fight whatever awful dreams might await him on the other side.


End file.
